No Monster Under The Bed

Regarding the article "Alleged Russian Hack Of Grid Concerns States" [Jan. 1, news], the emotional response of Vermont's elected officials was a victory for sensationalism over rational thinking. U.S. Rep. Peter Welch exclaimed that "this attack shows how rampant Russian hacking is," while Gov. Peter Shumlin said people should be "alarmed and outraged." Rep. Welch also said the discovery of malware on a laptop shows that the sanctions President Obama imposed against Russia were warranted.

Two days later, the article "Utility Apparently Not Russian Target" refuted the idea that the grid was compromised through a Vermont utility by the Russian government questions whether there was a computer hack at all.

Will Vermont's emotional elected officials now retract their pronunciations? It is better to verify the facts before making inflamatory statements.